Fighting to Fly
by imaginepeacexx
Summary: Iris Fazekas, a muggle, moves to England to start fresh. She unexpectedly falls in love with Sirius....but soon enough she is pursued by none other than Lucius Malfoy, unaware of his true identity... She then finds how extraordinary she truly is.
1. Chapter 1

Sirius/ OC and Lucius/OC Fanfic

**This story follows Iris Fazekas, a muggle and relationships formed when she moves to England....and other things she finds out about!**

**Her last name means "Potter" in Hungarian….and there is NO sort of relationship between her and Harry. I picked this solely because she is a ceramics teacher.**

**When she gets to England, it is the summer before Harry's fourth year. **

**Pretend Lucius is more evil than what the books portray ;)**

Iris Fazekas stormed through the door to her apartment, and threw her purse and pea coat across the living room. She hastily went skimmed through her iPod and connected it to her stereo system, and within seconds, "Short Stories with Tragic Endings" was blasting full volume. She went over to the adjacent kitchen, and got her huge ceramic beer stein she made in college from the cabinet, and got the handle of Bacardi Grand Melon out of the freezer. She poured a copious amount of the rum, and mixed it with a tad of Sprite. After taking a huge swig, she threw off her heels and proceeded to call her best friend, Marge.

Without any sort of greeting, Iris yelled into the phone, "That COMPLETE RAT BASTARD has the nerve to tell me that he is IN LOVE with none other than that BITCH who cheated with every man she ever was with!!"

Marge attempted to say something, but Iris left no room. "Obviously being engaged for a year and two months means absolutely NOTHING to him! If he wants to go fuck around, why the hell did he even bother buying me a fucking ring? What the hell is so wrong with me?"

Marge was completely shocked, since Andrew was such a sweetheart, he was there for Iris when the incident occurred, and him and Iris were so perfect together…But Marge was wrong.

"I have no clue. That is so strange! There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with you. You are the greatest person ever. You always put yourself last, you're funny, smart, beautiful…and that crazy streak of you is always guaranteed for a good time."

"If I was the greatest person EVER, you would think I would have been married to Jude Law by now…"

Iris calmed down a little bit over her conversation, and upon completion of her drink. The thunderstorm raging outside subsided.

"You know…whatever. I'm done with all this bullshit with guys. I'm either viewed as their best friend, or just someone to have sex with. And the ones who actually do have genuine feelings for me are soooo unbelievably clingy and annoying. I'm twenty-sex. I'm fucking turning into Bridget Jones… I think I am going to take that job in London…"

Ever since college, Iris wanted to teach art in England. She loved the history of England, the culture, the literature and she had a huge obsession with British film and actors. Upon graduation, she sent her resume to several schools in England, and luckily for her, she was hired by all of them. She was drawn to the high school in London, since it was in the city, but she wasn't sure if she could actually make the move. This last break-up was the deciding factor.

"I need a change of scenery. I want a clean slate. I need to just live life on my own for a while. I feel trapped. Who knows, maybe Jude Law will come to his senses and we'll be totally fabulous together!!"

They both laughed and just caught up on other aspects of their lives. After that refreshing conversation, Iris got out of her work clothes, down to just her boy shorts and tank top. She picked up her electric guitar and played and sang for hours until her throat hurt. This was almost a daily routine for her. It alleviated the stresses of being a teacher and she always wished she was a rock star. When it came to the arts, whether it was playing an instrument, singing, ceramics or painting, she was a natural phenomenon.

A few months later in August, Iris finally arrived in bustling London. She immediately went up to her tiny apartment, which was located on top of an antique bookstore and fell asleep on the couch for a few hours. Jetlag was a bitch.

When she woke up, she was so excited to finally be in England she could hardly contain herself. The apartment wasn't all that big. The kitchen was big enough for only two people, but there was a sort of bar that separated the living room/ dining room/art studio from the kitchen. This living/dining room/art studio consisted of a beat up coffee brown leather sofa, an entertainment center with a matching bookshelf (which her Dad and her built), a small round table that only seats four people, her easel, pottery wheel, and her acoustic and electric guitars. There was also a bay window which faced out towards the bohemian area where she lived. The bathroom was also very tiny. She could wash her hands from the toilet. But the tub was old-school with brass feet. It reminded her of the one that was transformed into a couch in the movie "Breakfast at Tiffany's." It seemed as if the bedroom was actually bigger than all the other rooms in the apartment. Her queen sized bed fit comfortably, with her vanity and wardrobe. Thankfully, she was allowed to repaint the ugly yellow walls to whatever she wanted. Iris, being the super organized lady she was, preordered the paint from a store that was only around the corner.

When she came back, she changed into her studio clothes and went to work on fixing the dismal place. She decided on painting the kitchen, living/dining room/art studio a washed out burnt orange. The bathroom was a light moss green, and the bedroom was a sort of crimson red.

Early the next morning, she started the tedious task of unpacking all her things she had shipped across the sea. She made several cups of her favorite acai berry-mango zinger tea to keep her going until she was finally done in the early evening. She decided to go out the next day to purchase some last minute home décor items, and maybe some new clothes since school was going to start in five days.

After Iris showered, she stood in front of her full-length mirror figuring what to wear. She was a natural beauty. She had long, dark chestnut brown hair that fell in tiny, loose ringlets that looked like dred locks. Her eyes were bright green. She had very delicate features, which compared to her delicate stature, since she was only 5'3" and only weighed a little above a hundred pounds. Her skin was pretty fair, but over the summer she tanned very well. She had a large tattoo across her left rib cage, which consisted of a Mendhi design, which she drew herself. Also on her right ribcage, right where her bra ended, the phrase, "Alis Volat Propiis" which means "She flies with her own wings," was tattooed in a calligraphy style font. There was a large scar that ran from her left collarbone diagonally right to her breastbone. She finally decided what to wear and felt like she was ready to take on London in dark skinny jeans, her heeled black cowboy-esque boots from Wet Seal, and an oversized dark green cardigan with a cream colored, lacy tank top underneath. She put on the necklace she had as long as she could remember. A very complicated Celtic knot, about two inches in diameter, was inlaid with tiny emeralds and diamonds strung from a simple silver chain.

There was a hippie store only about a block from where she lived, which was her first stop. As she walked in, she deeply breathed in the scent of incense. She took her time looking at all the beautiful things that were for sale. The store owner handed her a tote to put items in she was to buy. Pretty soon, the tote was filled with various candles, tapestries that she would use for curtains, and her favorite Nag Champa incense. Iris was browsing through handmade picture frames, and she noticed a man who was obviously caught looking at her, who was checking out vinyl albums.

"OH SHIT! Who needs Colin Firth, Jude Law OR Sean Bean? This man is BEAUTIFUL! I've always been a sucker for a guy with long hair!!" she thought to herself.

He then chuckled softly and grinned at her. She smiled and picked up a larger frame to hold a photograph of her entire family. He also chose two albums, Iris noted that one was David Bowie's "The Man Who Sold the World."

"Great taste in music, too. I've died and gone to British babe heaven!"

Again, he chuckled immediately after she finished her thought. She felt kind of paranoid that he could read her thoughts, which she knew was impossible…but still.

She wandered over to where they had various candle holders and lanterns, and this mysterious man also walked to.

Just like in the movies they both grabbed for the same thing at the same time, and they looked at each other and Iris giggled.

"Oh, my darling, I am dreadfully sorry," said the man with a playful glint in his brilliant blue eyes.

Iris shyly replied, "Don't worry about it, it's no big deal," and looked down becoming red from embarrassment.

"You're an American?"

"You couldn't tell?" she laughed, "I actually just moved here three days ago."

"Really? Why? I mean, of course, it is apparant England is loads better than the colonies…" He looked at her with such interest, but only with good intentions. It made her blush again.

"Well it's kind of complicated, but not really..I mean like…that doesn't make any sense." She was terrible at trying to explain something personal, especially with people she didn't know. He looked at her, amused.

"Okay, well I always wanted to come here since…forever! But in college, I decided I wanted to teach in England after I went to a study abroad meeting. It's such a fascinating country. And some issues back home, pretty much put the icing on the cake."

"So you're a teacher? What do you teach?" He never broke eye contact.

"Art, and my specialty is ceramics."

"Oh, the artist! That is quit sexy if I may say so myself….damnit, I really shouldn't have said that out loud. I'm frightfully embarrassed." Iris just laughed and assured him it was okay.

"How about a bite to eat? There's a great place right next door that has the best sandwiches and soups in all of the United Kingdom! By the way, I'm Sirius"

Iris introduced herself, and he commented how beautiful her name was.

Back in the States, she wouldn't have said yes to a stranger, but she desperately wanted to move ahead in her life and not be held down by past ghosts.

They enjoyed their lunch together, and chatted for almost two hours. They sat outside at a table with an umbrella. It was a beautiful sunny day. They had a lot in common, such as musical taste, their love of various rums, dogs, amount of ruined relationships, photography, culture in the 1960s and 1970s, among other things. The chemistry was just overwhelming.

"I feel like I've known you forever, Iris," his blue eyes seemingly brighter.

After they were finished, he paid and scooped up her bags. He walked Iris to her apartment and set her things inside on the table.

"I'm afraid I must be going. I have to meet up with my godson. However, I would like to ask for the opportunity to grace myself with your presence."

She giggled, since no man has ever talked to her in such a gentlemen- like manner. She agreed, and she wrote down her number for him. They decided on a dinner date for Saturday night. They hugged goodbye, and he held her hand and kissed it ever so lightly.

"I am really glad our paths crossed today. I can tell that things will change for the better."

She answered with "Me too. Thank you for lunch and I can't wait to see you on Saturday! Today was phenomenal!"

Oddly enough, neither realized they had been followed.

A few minutes after Sirius left, Iris snapped out of her daze, and wondered, "Why the hell did I let him find out where I live? Am I that stupid? I don't know anything about this man!"

She ended up crying and cursing herself as she was placing all her new items over the apartment. She put on "Dracula 2000" and fell asleep on her couch.

After a few weeks in England, Iris regretted making the wrong judgment of Sirius. He was a genuine person, who seemed absolutely perfect for her. They went on dates over the weekends, she never saw him during the week. She had him over for dinner a couple times. He never asked her to come over to his house, because he told her his house was not adequate to have such a beautiful creature come inside. She never pushed the matter, and she was thankdul that he never pushed sex either. She didn't want it to get to that level yet. She didn't want to tell him. She wasn't ready to.

Afew weeks, turned into months, and Sirius and Iris spent the holidays together. He gave her dangling emerald earrings to match her eyes and the necklace she always wore.

"Where did you get that necklace anyways? Are you Irish or something?"

"My mother gave it to me, but she says she doesn't remember where she got it. I've had it forever. I'm mostly Hungarian, with some British…"

"I was just wondering. I feel like I've seen this before."

She gave him a big bottle of rum, and a whiskey set that she made on the pottery wheel. He loved them.

He spent the night. There was definitely kissing, but she stopped suddenly and said she was tired. He was confused but let her be. Whatever it was, he was going to let her tell him herself. That scar had to be from someone. He watched his beautiful princess fall asleep. It was the first time he saw her look as if she was in a nightmare.

At the end of the school year, Sirius had to tell Iris the truth. That night, he was going over to her house for a homecooked dinner.

When he arrived, she noticed he looked distraught about something. All during dinner, he was fidgety, in comparison to his usual suave ways.

"My love, I have to tell you something important." He sat her down on the couch.

"I know this is going to be hard to understand, and I really don't want you to get mad at me. Please just wait until I'm done, and then you can yell at me, or whatever it is you want to do…"

"Oh great," she thought, "he's going to pull an Andrew. He better have a good fucking explanation."

He paused and stared at her with a hurt expression.

"You're going to think I'm a nut job. But I am part of a secret world that you only hear about in movies and novels…"

"HE"S A VAMPIRE?!?" she mused to herself.

"I am a wizard. Yes, a wizard. I can do magic…See?"

He pulled out his wand and made the table turn into a giant layered cake.

Iris just stared at the cake for a couple minutes, turned to him to say something, then stared back at the cake and then back at him. He changed it back. She finally broke the silence.

"Why on this earth would I be mad at you? That is the coolest thing EVER! There is no need to be ashamed of that. I promise I won't tell anyone."

"I figured that you wouldn't be mad at that, or tell anyone..but there's something else."

"I swear to God, if you're cheating on me with a mermaid…I don't care what magic you can do. You're a dead man, Sirius."

"Have you ever seen a mermaid? They aren't like Ariel. They are hideous!" They both laughed. "but seriously, I would never, ever do that to you. You are lovely just the way you are and I wouldn't have it any other way." He kissed her.

"So, you know how in any story, there is always a good guy and always a bad guy?" Iris nodded, puzzled. "Well, I got caught between the two." Sirius inhaled deeply and squeezed Iris' hand. He proceeded to tell her about how Peter Pettigrew set Sirius up, how James and Lily were killed, and he was sent to Azkaban and the escape. He also told her how he can change his appearance and how Harry Potter, his grandson, was a hero in the wizarding world, Harry's friends, along with members of what would come to be the Order of the Phoenix.

He thought she would freak out, but when he finally looked up at her, she was crying.

"That is the…saddest thing I have ever heard in my life. That …just isn't fair!"

He hugged her and thanked Merlin for letting such a wonderful woman love him for everything he was.

She was very curious about Voldemort and all his followers. She really wanted to know how they could be so hateful and evil. He explained about muggles, mudbloods, and purebloods, which both agreed was totally inane. He described some of the major Death eaters, like Lucius Malfoy, Bellatrix LeStrange, Walden McNair, Augustus Rookwood, and Anton Dolohov. He went into detail about how Lucius almost killed Ginny Weasley a couple of years ago, all his evil methods, and how he still has a high position in the Ministry of Magic.

"Lucius is possibly the most dangerous Death Eater there is, next to my psycho cousin, Bellatrix."

She took this all in, and held a determined expression.

"Since I guess this is the night of confessions, I have to tell you something as well…"

Sirius thought, "I really hope it isn't what I think it is……."

She finished her drink in one gulp and tears started to flow. It started to pour outside.


	2. Chapter 2

"Well as you know, I dated…well actually engaged to Andrew. I thought we were absolutely perfect together until he confessed he was in love with this lady..well wouldn't call her a lady…but basically the local harlot. He was almost everything I wanted in a man. He listened, took me out in class, made me his world," Iris snickered. "He even had beautiful, blonde hair. And British."

She continued, "Well, it was late one night in July, three years ago. I was walking back from my friend, Marge's house. She only lived a couple blocks away from me. I've done that walk so many times, and we lived there since we were born so I felt completely safe."

"For once in my life I felt scared. I felt like someone was watching me, following me. Every time I turned around there would be no one. The only thing that was moving was the occasional lightning because it was so hot."

"I turned around again and all of a sudden I felt hands grab me and pull me to the shadows…"

Pools of tears were streaming down from Iris' beautiful face.

…"A very deep, husky voice said 'If you let one noise escape from you, this knife will pierce your heart. It will hurt a lot more than what's coming, miss.' He punched me in the stomach, then he violently grabbed my neck and kissed me. He lifted my skirt and held the knife to me. His light colored eyes were dancing. Like he really enjoyed seeing torture and pain…I couldn't fight him off. He was so much stronger and I was just so scared. When he was done I couldn't see. I was crying and in pain…He whispered in my ear, 'that was lovely. I hope to see you again soon. Here's something to remember me by, when you're lonely in bed" He then proceeded to cut me here," she lightly grazed the scar that was on her chest, "and then he hit me with the hilt of the knife and I went unconscious."

"I woke up in the hospital. Andrew was sleeping in the chair next to me. I couldn't see the man who did it. Only his eyes. They were blue, but grey at the same time. I don't know..it was so dark and I was more concerned with that knife and making it out alive…"

Iris was sobbing, and all Sirius could think of to do was just to pull her close and rub her back and let her cry. He quietly said "Darling, I am so sorry. I love you"

After she was finished crying, she stated, "You know, Andrew stayed with me through all of that. He made sure I was taken care of. Of course I didn't want to have sex for a very long time. Maybe that's why he drifted."

Sirius gently took her face into his hands and stared at her, with a sad expression mixed with anger. "Don't ever say that. He's an ass, that's why he fucked things up. It is in no way YOUR fault. A relationship should never be based on that, and if it is…then it isn't a real relationship."

They put on a movie and fell asleep on the couch comfortably cuddling…like they finally found what they were searching for.

Now that they had no more deep, dark secrets between them, both had this new rejuvenated attitude- like nothing could stop them. Iris finally came to Sirius' house- Grimmauld Place. She was finally going to meet the famous Harry Potter. Sirius gave her some books and newspapers so she can get a better idea of what was going on in his world, and she gladly drank up all the information she could.

Sirius cam e to her place to pick her up on a beautiful, sunny afternoon. However, he was not as cheerful and she would have thought. He quickly grabbed her hands and sat down with her on the sofa.

"Sweetheart, I just need to forewarn you. Things might seem a little…downcast. The Dark Lord returned. It's a long story, but he was able to get Harry and another boy transported to this place. He killed the other boy, and Harry nearly escaped…The world is no longer safe. There may be another war on the way…."

Iris replied, "Hey, it'll be okay. The world was never a safe place. We can beat this guy. You did it plenty of times before!"

Sirius looked distraught, so Iris got up and fixed some tea quick before they left. They drank it in silence.

When they were done, Sirius bowed while saying, "Madam, may I have your hand?"

Iris giggled, and lightly put her hand in his. He tucked it in the crook of his arm, winked, and said "Hold on babe, it's gon be a wild ride," in his best John Wayne accent.

They landed in front of a dreary town home, as Iris was trying to regain her footing.

He then proceeded to say, "Now, please don't judge my house. I am trying to make it livable, but it's slightly cursed due to my deranged dead mother."

She responded with a smile , "Well then if I puke all over the place I guess you won't mind"

The house was almost exactly how she imagined it. Dark and dingy, but she could see it was at one time very elegant and sophisticated. While in the middle of daydreaming about how it would have looked, she was snapped into reality by a shrieking voice.

"Why are you bringing _that_ mixed breed traitor into MY house! My house is in ruins and it is ENTIRELY your fault!"

Both Iris and Sirius had the same look of shock and fear in their faces.

"Who the hell was that Sirius?"

"Oh don't mind my mother, she is somehow still alive in a painting and torments us all til no end. She hates everyone except purebloods" He responded, still confused.

"Mixed breed?" He thought, "What does that mean?"

Their thoughts were interrupted by a red-headed woman busting open the door saying, "It's about time you showed up! Dinner's ready! Oh you must be Iris," she continued in a more calm tone, "I am Molly Weasley. My husband, Arthur, and I are in the Order. All our kids are here somewhere…"

"Boys! Ginny and Hermoine! Dinner's ready!" Molly yelled at the base of the stairs before Iris could reply.

A whole crew of gingers, along with who she recognized as Harry, and who she guessed was Hermoine came bounding down the stairs past her. Sirius let Iris walk in front of him to the kitchen, and pulled a chair out for her.

The food floated over to everyone, and was served without anyone having to handle any utensils or hot pans. It all smelled so good- brown sugared ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, and biscuits. While eating, Iris was introduced to everyone. She felt a little out of place, since they were all discussing magic related things. Some more people came in during dinner, Remus, Tonks, some crazy guy aptly named "Mad Eye," Kingsley, and a really old wizard named Dumbledore.

After they were finished eating, the kids ran upstairs, and the dishes were cleared and cleaned with a simple flick of the wrist. The adults then moved to the parlor, which provided more comfortable seating arrangements. Sirius led Iris to a very large emerald green sofa. Yet another person entered. Sirius was not so enthusiastic about the introductions this time, but simply said, "Iris, this is Snape. Snape, Iris." Iris stood up and shook this dark haired man's hand and said "Very nice to meet you." Snape replied, "Pleased to meet you too. Call me Severus " and sat next to her as there was no other seats. However he looked at her differently. Not that he wasn't happy to meet her, but almost like he pitied her. She shook off the thought, as she figured it was just silly of her.

Dumbledore was studying Iris, like he was trying to figure something in his head, while Remus, Sirius and Severus were arguing about gathering troops or something. Dumbledore interrupted by asking Iris, "No one wants to talk about business. We have a very special guest here. We heard a whole lot of good things about you from our host. But he never mentioned anything about your family. Are they still in the picture?"

Iris, completely unprepared for such a question, stuttered, "Well…no. I mean there's not much to tell. They're like not alive anymore."

Dumbledore gave this look like he wanted to hear more. She continued, "I don't think anyone wants to hear this. But my Dad came here, to England from Hungary where he met my mother. Then they moved to the US when I was young. We moved in a small cottage in a small town, where I lived..well until I moved here that is. Um, they passed away in some sort of snowmobiling accent up in Vermont during their anniversary right before college."

"Is that who gave you that necklace? Your mother?" He continued.

"Yes, actually. It was her favorite, but she gave it to me for my sixteenth birthday. She knew how much I loved it." Dumbledore just nodded, and then changed the conversation by exclaiming "I certainly am glad I brought some Every Flavor Beans, a really good treat after a delicious meal." Typical conversation followed, at least typical in the eyes of a witch or wizard- such as dealings with the Ministry, Hogwarts, sales on Diagon Ally, which Tonks offered to take Iris…Iris listened and put in a couple words here at there, but could not shake this feeling that maybe there was something going on that she had no clue about.


End file.
